When an air bag is stored behind the instrument panel of an automotive vehicle, the instrument panel covers and conceals the air bag but must not interfere with its deployment. In the past, the instrument panel has been formed with a door or doors capable of swinging open to permit the air bag to deploy. However, the expanding air bag strikes the doors with considerable force, sometimes causing them to rip loose or break apart. This subjects the passenger to the risk of serious injury. Also, the wall of the instrument panel to which the doors are hinged is often curved, and when the door hinge is likewise curved, the hinge has a tendency to kink when the door swings open. Kinking of the hinge interferes with proper door opening and deployment of the air bag.
In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention about to be described, the instrument panel has a curved wall provided with a closure preferably comprising a pair of doors which swing apart to form an opening through which the air bag deploys. The edge of the opening is curved because the instrument panel wall is curved. Each door is made of two components, namely, a structural member or panel which has an integral hinge at the edge of the door opening, and a pad preferably molded on the swinging edge portion of the door. The hinge is curved to match the curve of the edge of the door opening and hence has a tendency to kink when the door opens. The hinge is preferably formed with spaced apart slots which create in effect several aligned hinge points to facilitate bending. The pad puts additional weight at the outer edge of the door and together with the slots in the hinge prevent the hinge from kinking.
Preferably, the structural member or panel of the door is made of metal so that it is stronger and able to withstand the extremely high forces placed on the hinge when the door opens, and the pad is made of a resinous plastic material so that it will not cut or injure a passenger and will be resistant to dents.
The air bag canister needs to be anchored properly so that when the air bag inflates, it deploys in the intended direction for proper impact against the doors. The air bag should deploy in a path which is substantially perpendicular to the doors, but if the canister is not properly attached, it has a tendency to rock downwardly, changing the direction in which the air bag expands and reducing the effectiveness of the air bag in opening the door. In accordance with this invention, the air bag canister is attached in a way which prevents the canister from rocking when the air bag deploys.
One object of this invention is to provide an instrument panel assembly having the foregoing features.
Another object is to provide an instrument panel assembly which is of relatively simple construction, rugged and durable in use, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install.